Jasmine Hughes

Fall broccoli is one of the most rewarding cool-season crops a North Carolina gardener can grow, but getting…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 8

Spotting a copperhead along the edge where your yard meets the woods can stop you in your tracks,…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 8

Most North Carolina homeowners have seen a Bradford pear in full white bloom and thought it looked like…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 7

Walk the edge where your lawn meets the woods and you might brush past a thorny, low-growing shrub…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 7

Every fall, North Carolina homeowners start sneezing and immediately point a finger at the bright yellow wildflower blooming…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 7

Something unsettling happens when a patch of your lawn turns brown in a matter of days, and no…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 7

Every July and August, North Carolina homeowners spot something alarming: huge, yellow-striped wasps hovering low over the grass…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 7

Spotting a large, fast-moving spider along your foundation can stop you in your tracks, especially when it seems…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 7

Stepping outside to find praying mantises perched on every shrub and fence post can feel like your yard…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 6

Spotting a copperhead along your yard’s wooded edge in late summer can stop you cold, and it raises…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 6

Every summer, North Carolina gardeners walk outside to find their rose bushes looking like lace curtains, stripped of…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 6

Chain-link fences are practical, but they are not exactly beautiful, and most homeowners would rather look at something…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 6

Most backyard blueberry growers in North Carolina spend the summer focused on picking fruit, but the work that…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 6

Spotting a hawk once is exciting, but seeing the same bird swoop through your backyard again and again…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 6

Finding a handful of large, fast-moving spiders patrolling your foundation on a cool October evening can make any…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 5

Walk outside on a warm August evening in North Carolina and you might feel like the trees have…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 5

A patch of ragged, browning grass can send a North Carolina homeowner straight to the garden center, but…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 5

Spotting a nearly round hole in your deck rail or fence post can stop you mid-step, especially when…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 5

Every summer, Japanese beetles show up in North Carolina yards and go straight for roses and bean plants,…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 5

Glance out at a North Carolina yard in late summer and you might spot a dozen small green…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 5

Late summer in North Carolina often brings a surprise in the backyard: silky white webs draped over the…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 4

Spotted lanternflies have been showing up in more North Carolina yards, and the egg masses they leave behind…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 4

Stepping outside on a warm North Carolina evening and spotting wolf spiders scattered across your yard can feel…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 4

A colorful, fast-spreading insect called the spotted lanternfly has been turning up in North Carolina yards, and one…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 4

Every October, a lot of North Carolina yards sit bare and brown while neighbors wonder what went wrong…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 4

Spotting a flash of blue tail darting under your deck or finding three lizards sunning on the same…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 4

Right now, across North Carolina yards, metallic beetles are showing up on roses and making a mess of…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 3

Spotting a copperhead along the edge of your yard can stop you cold, especially when kids or pets…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 3

Silky white webs draped over tree branches are one of summer’s most startling sights in a North Carolina…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 3

Bradford pears looked like a bargain when everyone planted them, but those trees crack apart in storms and…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 3

Spotted lanternflies have been turning up in parts of North Carolina, and if you live in one of…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 3

Every September, plenty of North Carolina yards look rough after a summer of Japanese beetle damage, with chewed…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 3

Fire ant mounds have a way of appearing in the worst spots, right in the middle of a…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 2

Spotting a praying mantis perched on a tomato stem can stop you in your tracks. These angular, slow-moving…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 2

Every late summer, North Carolina homeowners notice patches of grass turning brown almost overnight, and fall armyworms are…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 2

American beautyberry is a North Carolina native shrub that most homeowners walk right past at the garden center,…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 2

Finding a toad tucked under your pepper plants or nestled against a raised bed edge is one of…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 2

Most North Carolina homeowners walk right past yaupon holly at the nursery without giving it a second look.…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 2

Every late summer, North Carolina homeowners start noticing white silky webs draped over the tips of tree branches,…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 1

A fast-growing tree with a bad reputation has been quietly spreading through North Carolina roadsides, yard edges, and…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 1

When the last leaves drop and the yard turns bare, most North Carolina homeowners assume wildlife has to…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 1

Spotting a flock of wild turkeys strutting through your North Carolina yard can stop you in your tracks.…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 1

Walk past most North Carolina yards in late August or September and the color story has quieted down…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 1

That gray, honeycomb-looking nest tucked under your porch eave is not a random accident. Paper wasps are deliberate…

By Jasmine Hughes · Aug 1

Spotting a large dark snake at the edge of your North Carolina yard can stop you cold, but…

By Jasmine Hughes · Jul 31

Every August, silken tents start appearing on tree branches across North Carolina yards, and the first instinct for…

By Jasmine Hughes · Jul 31

Spotting a brown thrasher tossing leaf litter in your garden bed is one of those yard moments that…

By Jasmine Hughes · Jul 31

Spotting a slow-moving opossum crossing your yard at night can feel surprising, but this animal is one of…

By Jasmine Hughes · Jul 31

That thick row of nandina lining your fence may look tidy, but fruiting plants are listed as invasive…

By Jasmine Hughes · Jul 31